Nina gave a merry laugh. She didn’t care what the prince thought of her, and she understood that the remark about her gown was a jab at Brum, who had paid for it.

“Now you are being unkind, Your Highness,” she said. “But I am happy to orbit Hanne’s sun. You’re looking very well yourself, if I may say so.”

“You may—though you will make our friend Joran jealous. Perhaps you should pay him a compliment too.”

Nina smiled at Joran. Your secret is safe with me. “You look slightly less stern tonight, Joran.”

“Does he?” Prince Rasmus mused. “Maybe a bit around the forehead.”

“It’s quite a crush tonight,” said Hanne. “I’ve never seen this ballroom so full.”

“They all want to gawk at me, and I’m happy to let them. And of course, everyone wants to talk about the war.”

“I see Vadik Demidov here, but not the Apparat,” said Nina.

“Demidov is happiest at a party, eating someone else’s food and drinking someone else’s wine. As for the priest, he’s been most secretive lately. Your father isn’t happy about it. He wants my family to banish him back to Ravka or the underside of whatever rock will have him.”

A glorious idea, thought Nina. The less she saw of the priest, the better.

“And what will your family do?” Nina asked.

Rasmus grimaced. “My mother has become strangely superstitious and won’t part with the priest. She’s in Djel’s chapel day and night.”

I just bet. But Nina left it to Hanne to say, “Oh?”

Rasmus lowered his voice and leaned in. “She doesn’t want to let Brum bomb any more civilian targets. She’s talking like some kind of peasant who claims to see the face of Djel in a loaf of bread. Saying that the spirits of the dead spoke to her and that Djel will make me sick again—just because I backslid a bit.”

Hanne’s eyes dropped guiltily away and she touched her fingers to a spray of lilies in a silver vase.

“Perhaps it’s superstition,” said Nina. “But if it was Brum’s choice to bomb the city, you could choose a new policy and show him you have other plans for Fjerda’s future.”

“Interesting,” Rasmus said, assessing first Nina and then Hanne. “The fishwife has discovered politics. She’s criticizing your father’s strategies, Hanne. What do you think of that?”

Hanne cocked her head to the side, considering. “I think strong men show strength, but great men show strength tempered by compassion.”

Rasmus laughed. “You have a gift for diplomacy, Hanne Brum. And I do like taking a larger role in our military decisions. Though I can tell you our generals were most surprised to see me join their meetings.”